The Child of Olympus
by widemindedwinglover
Summary: SPOILER ALERT! Don't read if you haven't read Mark of Athena. Summary: While the seven are stopping Gaea, the Romans are attacking Camp Half Blood. If they succeed, then the very fabric of the Western civilization will be torn apart. However, the gods did create something to stop them. It's a thirteen year old girl- with fourteen fatal flaws and gifts from every god.
1. The Fourteen Flaws

**This is my first Percy Jackson fic- so no hating! Okay, hate if you want to, but review! (Can I scream desperate any louder?) I have two other stories, but they're Maximum Ride. Give them a look, and tell me what you think about this fic. **

**The Child of Olympus**

It was 1476 when Apollo received the vision.

He was resting after his long, daily chariot drive across the word when he felt the kick and tingle of approaching visions. He closed his eyes, and felt his spirit tugged across the fabric of time to come across a flaw in the cloth.

Apollo saw a Roman legion marching, vicious cries of bloodshed, and gore spattering the ground in a peaceful valley. He watched as Greek demigods, unprepared and terrified, were slaughtered by Roman demigods. Apollo watched as the peaceful training center was razed and burned to the ground, and as Chiron, the benevolent teacher, was captured, no doubt to be tortured.

The god was then pulled to a modern city where the glory of Mount Olympus was floating above. He watched as the Greek and Roman gods were pulled out of their one form. The Roman counterpart murdered the Greek counterpart and sent them to Tartarus, thus killing themselves. Apollo watched in horror while the world was ripped apart by the very flame of the Western world burning out.

The vision went black, and Apollo came face to face with the three Fates.

"_You must stop this destruction_,_" _They hissed furiously. "_Create a child, one demigod to protect the Greek. One that can ensure peace and harmony among the groups._"

"But how?" Apollo cried, his golden voice echoing among the dark, vacuous space.

"_Use ALL of the Olympians. Give the child two gifts from each god," _the Fates hissed. "_The heart will begin to beat when the time is right. Do this, Apollo, or watch the world burn._"

And Apollo was sucked back into the present.

* * *

The gods were horrified when they were told.

"You mean Venus comes out and murders me?" Aphrodite cried in horror. She was beautiful as always. Today her hair was a rich, deep ebony, with eyes as blue as Zeus's. Apollo found it difficult to look at her, so he instead looked at Hephaestus. His ugly face immediately made Apollo feel back to normal

Ares winced. "Don't get me thinking about Romans—" Ares image flickered like a candle, and for a moment they could see Mars—a much more official, intelligent looking god. Then Ares popped back in.

The gods started exclaiming and worrying until Zeus thundered, "ENOUGH!"

They immediately grew silent. Zeus turned back to Apollo. "Continue, my son,"

Apollo explained how they were supposed to create a demigod to defend the Greeks and make peace with the Romans. "She said when the heart begins to beat, the time will be right to release him—her—it into the world.

"How do we create a demigod?" Demeter pondered, causing tiger-lilies to sprout and frame her face like a picture. Athena immediately stood, and the gods sighed in relief. Athena would save them the trouble of looking for a solution.

"Prometheus," Athena began, causing Zeus to growl angrily. She shot him a look and continued. "Prometheus created humans by forming them out of clay. I breathed life into them, and thus humans were created. The offspring of gods and humans were demigods." The gods nodded, following her train of thought.

"My guess is that we can have Hephaestus craft a body out of clay. We can ask Hades for a fresh, wiped soul from the Underworld, and mold this soul into the body. When the time is right, we can ask Eileithyia—"

"Wait, Eileithyia who?" Poseidon interrupted. Athena shot him a dirty look and would have continued, but many of the gods were also confused. Athena rolled her eyes.

"Eileithyia is the goddess of childbirth," Athena said in a "duh" tone. "We can ask Eileithyia to give this child to a mother's womb. The child will be born a demigod—its parent's will be all of us. We will bless the child with our gifts so it is a demigod."

"The last thing I understood was that Eileithyia was the god of childbirth," Hermes said. Athena sighed and wondered how gods could be so stupid.

It took Hephaestus ten years to craft the body out of clay. When it was done, Athena breathed life into its body as Hades gave it a fresh, brand new soul. The dull gray clay sparkled with light and became not flesh, but something other entirely. When you looked at the child you saw neither boy nor girl, not baby nor adult. You saw the picture frame to a fresh soul, something that would become partially human as soon as it heart deigned to beat and it joined with a human mother. While the child seemed alive, it never moved nor breathed. It seemed almost a healthy corpse, yet full of life.

The gods at first watched the child carefully, but as the centuries slipped by, they began to forget altogether. It was only when a Greek clashed with a Roman that they remembered and rushed to the child's side. The heart did not beat for over five centuries.

* * *

When it did, it was 1999, New Year's Eve. The gods and goddesses had taken on human forms and were slipping in and out of the crowd in Times Square, laughing merrily and enjoying themselves. It was when the clock began to tick down the final minute that Artemis felt a shiver in her heart. She tried to focus on the conversation that she was having, but she felt as though cotton was stuffed into her ears.

_Come_, a sober, childlike voice said, and Artemis felt herself being sucked up back to the throne room.

Artemis clattered into her silvery throne and slumped back into the chair, shocked. Not many things could have the power to pull a fully powerful goddess where she didn't want to go. Artemis glanced around and realized that every god and goddess was here. Even Hades, in a silver and black suit, was sitting there, looking surprised. Hestia sat calmly by the hearth and tended the fire. Zeus had lipstick marks on his face.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zeus roared, glaring around at the gods. Dionysus was looking especially rumpled.

"That was the party of the century—my kind of party!" he whined, then went still, eyes wide.

"_It is time_," Three voices chanted in unison. "_The heart will begin beating in one minute. It is time to distribute the gifts._"

The Three Fates were standing there, in the shadows of the throne room. In the center pulsed the glowing white body of the child.

They turned to Aphrodite, who today had lovely blond hair and violet eyes. She looked scared—unusual for a goddess.

"Beauty and Grace," She said clearly, and a golden glow escaped from her lips as she said it. The glow hovered for a moment, then flew into the child.

They turned to Artemis. "Athleticism and Aim," she said, and a silver glow joined the child.

Athena. "Intelligence and determination.

Demeter. "Healthy Body and Earth," she said, meaning her signature powers of plant growth and a healthy child.

Hera. "Faith and Leadership."

Hestia. "Loyalty and fire."

Apollo. "Healing and Music."

Ares. "Skill and strategy."

Dionysus. "Animal Speech and Madness," he said, meaning his gift to throw others into madness.

Hades. "It shall be able to hide in shadows and summon jewels."

Hephaestus. "I have given it a body, and I shall give it my skill in building."

Hermes. "Generosity and speed."

Poseidon. "Water control and Earth shaking."

Zeus. "It shall have my winds and storms."

The glowing body was now multicolored and as beautiful as a rainbow. Its pulsing picked up and began a frantic rhythm.

"_Your gifts have been kind, yet we have ancient laws_," The Fates hissed. "_For every two gifts, there must be a flaw. The child will have 14 fatal flaws that will hinder it in its journey._"

"No!" Hera cried, for she knew most demigods could die with just one. The Fates smiled grimly.

"_The child can lose a fatal flaw with a sacrifice or at a challenge in the journey it shall take."_

Outside, the count down began.

"10!"

"Please no, the child!" Hera wept.

"9!"

"No child should be hurt like that," Poseidon roared.

"8!"

"Eileithyia, wait!" Hades cried, for once showing emotion. The goddess Eileithyia had arrived, with hair as white as snow and eyes green as spring grass.

"7!"

"Fourteen Flaws are too many!" Hestia screamed.

"6!"

"How can it hope to over come them all?" Athena asked, distraught.

"5!"

"I demand you stop this," Zeus ordered furiously.

"4!"

"Please, Eileithyia, don't take the child away!" Aphrodite shouted, crying tears like tiny diamonds.

"3!"

"_Fate cannot be stopped,_" The Fates hissed.

"2!"

"I'm so sorry," Eileithyia whispered and raised her arms.

"1!"

For the first time, the child's eyes opened—a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors. A tiny thump-thump began—a beating heart. As the gods lunged forward, the baby was sucked into Eileithyia arms. As Zeus summoned a lightning bolt, they disappeared.


	2. Faith, Trust, and Supernatural Powers

**THE CHILD OF OLYMPUS**

**Faith, Trust, and Fire. And Winds.**

The Child of Olympus was born at midnight, between August 31**st** and September 1**st**.

The baby girl was born with a full head of head, the color of rich dark honey. Her eyes—although eyes are not usually defined in color the moments after birth—were a lovely indigo, speckled with amber. The child was blessed by Aphrodite herself, and you could tell.

The assistant nurse, a lovely white haired, green eyed woman, was reluctant to hand over the baby. She clutched the infant close to her, and the head nurse almost had to yank the child out of her arms.

"Be safe," the nurse whispered. "Do not let the flaws ruin you."

The baby smiled, and was unusually calm for a newborn baby. The mother, an exhausted teenager, cradled her in her arms.

"What are you going to name her?" the green eyed nurse asked urgently. The teen looked at her and frowned.

"Doesn't matter," she said tiredly. "Gonna give her up for adoption anyway."

"You have to name her!" The nurse exclaimed, who was really Eileithyia. She knew that if a child wasn't named, it wasn't claimed. If the baby wasn't claimed, then the baby wouldn't really be a demigod.

"Um, uh," she stuttered, and then looked deep into Eileithyia's eyes.

"Alianora," she said, sounding hypnotized. She shook her head, sweaty curls flying. "Call her Alia, A-lee."

"Why are you giving her up?" The nurse asked. The young teen's eyes began to tear up.

"I'm—I'm 17," she said shakily. "I can't care for a baby, I have to finish high school!"

The teen began to sob, and the head nurse snatched the baby away. "I'm sorry, Alia," she cried, and dissolved into tears.

"Shhh, it's alright," Eileithyia said, using her godly power to calm the mortal down. "She will be okay, you will be okay."

Alia would definitely not be okay.

* * *

**ALIA POV, 6 years old**

It was cold. Very, very cold.

The threadbare coat that covered me was flimsy and useless. The wind howled and struggled to rip me off the ground. But the cold and the wind was better than what I faced inside.

The orphanage had been nice. The food, if mushy, was warm and sometimes tasty. The beds were not comfy, but I was never alone. On Saturday's we were allowed to put fuzzy socks on and slide around the Main Hall. Not all of the kids were nice, and I never got adopted, but it was a pretty good living situation.

The Ms. Thimbleton, the headmaster, had gone away. We got to visit her one more time, but she was asleep in a box and didn't talk to us. A lot of people in black suits were there when she was asleep, and they said she wasn't coming back.

Then we got a new headmaster. She was scary, really scary. She put me in a bedroom by myself, and at night she would stomp back and forth by the door. The new headmaster tried to get me alone a lot, but one of the older boys would always stay with me. His name was Grover.

I sniffled and tried not to think of him. If I thought about Grover, then I would turn around and go back inside. But I had to keep going. I heard the headmaster, Mrs. Chidna, say that she was gonna get me tonight.

I turned away from the homey yellow lights of the orphanage and trotted toward the gate. I could barely see it in the dark, but the giant lump in the snow clued me toward what I thought was the gate.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I turned back to the orphanage, but the nice warm light was mostly blocked out by Mrs. Chidna. She was fat.

"H-h-Hi M-Mrs. Chidna," I chattered, my teeth clanking together.

"Alia, darling, why don't you come inside?"

She smiled, and her teeth looked pointed.

"No way, Jose," I said defiantly. "I heard you say that you were gonna finish me off, and that's not nice!" I shuffled backwards as her mean little Chihuahua appeared at her side.

"Honey, that's silly! Come give me a kissssssss…" Mrs. Chidna began to change, getting uglier and bigger and meaner. She became snaky. Her tongue was forked and green, and her body erupted in scales. Her dog growled and began to grow bigger. Together they advanced on me.

"NO!" I shrieked. I was so, so cold, and they were monsters, real monsters, like from under the bed. I held out my hands. "Go AWAY!" I hollered, and flames shot from my hands.

The flames washed over Mrs. Chidna and her dog, who was growing bigger and bigger and bigger. The flames stopped, and I felt tired and drained. They looked shocked, but unaffected.

"Run!" A voice hollered, and I blindly obeyed, running to the gate and ripping off the frozen latch. I stumbled out into the lane and began running and running, my throat and lungs stinging from the cold. Mrs. Chidna and her dog began to yell and started to come after me. I looked back and gasped with surprise as I saw plants forcing themselves out of the ground and twining around their legs.

Wild, screeching music was urging the plants on, making them grow faster. Grover was blowing into panpipes, like from Peter Pan, and he was the one making the plants grow. Mrs. Chidna and her dog were laden down by vines, but they were slowly ripping their way through. I couldn't leave Grover behind.

"Grover!" I yelled as loud as I could. The music abruptly stopped and Grover ran out from the doorway in the orphanage. He leapt over the gate nimbly and sprinted toward me.

"Grover!" I cried, and he scooped me up while running. Mrs. Chidna roared and began to break out of her bonds. Grover slowed down and grabbed something on his neck. I thumped to the ground.

Grover yanked out the cord on his neck. Hanging on it was a sleek golden whistle. He snatched it and blew on it as hard as he could.

"What's happening?" I cried out, and tears leaked onto my face, freezing on my cheeks. Grover helped me up.

"It's okay, Alia, we'll be fine—"

With a SMASH, the gate broke off and flew into the darkness. Mrs. Chidna stood next to—was that her Chihuahua? It was huge and lopsided.

"PREPARE TO DIE, DEMIGOD!" Mrs. Chidna screamed. I was transfixed with terror. I was gonna die, and I hadn't even turned seven yet.

Grover grabbed me and put me behind him, him being the human shield. Suddenly something thumped out of the sky.

"Look!" I shouted as Mrs. Chidna began to advance. Behind us was a beautiful brown horse with wings.

"Get on!" Grover said. He shoved me onto the horse and began to climb on. Mrs. Chidna and her dog were coming fast. He wouldn't have time to get on.

Thinking of the movie, "The Wizard of Oz", I closed my eyes, begging there to be a tornado or something. I heard Mrs. Chidna getting closer, but I kept my eyes shut, having faith for a miracle.

Suddenly the wind got stronger. Icy swords seemed to lash out at my face. The pretty horse stuck its wings out to keep the balance. I opened my eyes and tried to pull Grover up.

Mrs. Chidna looked as though she was walking in slow motion. "You can't do this!" She roared. "I am Echidna!"

Grover slid onto the horse fully.

"GO, go, GO!" He shouted, and the horse flapped its wings and began to fly.

* * *

**So... what did you think?**

**Didja like it?**

**I bet you guys can't guess what the fatal flaws were in this chapter. Actually, I bet you can guess, seeing as it is in the title.**

**Please Review and enjoy!**


	3. Mufasa is a jerk

**Thanks for the review, guys. Enjoy the story!**

**CHILD OF OLYMPUS**

**GROVER POV:**

Needles of ice stabbed my neck and hands, and clenching the warm mane of the pegasus did nothing to stop the numb feeling from spreading beyond my hands.

Dark gold hair whipped into my face as I leaned toward the back of her head. Little Alia. I had assumed she was Aphrodite's daughter, but then Echidna had showed up. Also, the little girl had shot fire from her hands. _Fire. _I would have assumed she was Hephaestus's daughter, but she was far too delicate, and she could connect with _anyone_. Make _anywhere _a home, even that miserable orphanage.

Make anywhere a home? Shoot fire from her hands? What if…

"Grover?" Alia's voice was small and it sounded scared. "Grover, where are we going?" She twisted her small head around and looked at me. Her eyes were a lovely mix of blue and purple, with the golden specks much brighter than usual. She looked terrified.

"We're going home. To a real home," I said, and nudged the pegasus onward. Buck, the pegasus, grumbled and flapped his wings harder.

I squinted downward at the passing landscape below. Echidna was probably following us, having no interest in mortal flesh. She couldn't be too close, though…

"Grover?" Alia asked. She was shivering madly, the tips of her ears and her nose red. "What's that glowy thing below us?"

I barely had time to think, _UH-OH _when Buck screamed a terrified whinny. A condensed ball of fire shot from the ground below and smacked into his wing.

And we fell out of the sky.

**ALIA POV**

For the first time, I was glad there was snow.

Having the horse dive was like being on the scariest roller coaster ever. The horsie tumbled down and down, and I almost fell off. Grover snatched my hand right before I fell.

"Grover!" I screamed. His face grimaced as he struggled to stay on the horse and hold me up at the same time.

"We have to land!" Grover yelled at the horse. I could feel my hand slipping away, and saw that Grover was slowly sliding off the horse. If I kept on holding on, we would both fall.

Suddenly, a memory flew to my mind, from six or seven weeks a go.

"_Give me Priscilla!" Amanda howled, and the teacher immediately rushed over. She saw the doll in my hands and immediately scolded me._

"_Alianora! Stop being so selfish and share with Amanda!"_

"_I had her first," I whined. _

"_Stop being a selfish little brat," she exclaimed. I firmly hugged the doll to my chest._

"_NO! She's mine," I screamed. The teacher spanked me firmly and tugged the doll away. _

"_Go sit in time out," she said. "You have to learn to share. Once you aren't selfish and you are ready to share, you can come out."_

"_I'm not selfish!" I howled, and I sat in time out the rest of the day._

The bitter cold rushed me back to my senses. If I was selfish again, we would both fall. I looked into Grover's eyes, tears filling my own.

"I'll be okay," I said in a trembling voice, and I let go of his hand.

I spiraled through the air, but I felt as though a giant weight had lifted off of me. I no longer wanted to steal Sarah's dresses and wear them because I looked nicer in them. I no longer wanted to keep all the toys, eat all the nice food instead of letting everyone share, or do any of that stuff.

I felt wonderful. I felt like I could share, and not take everything for myself… not be selfish.

With a THUMP, I smashed into the ground. It was over so quickly I didn't have time to shriek. I plunged through the huge snow pile and finally slammed into the ground. It was icy and cold.

I let out a weak little moan and coughed. My head vibrated from hitting the ground so hard. I tried to sit up and gasped from the pain in my back.

I had crashed through a snow drift almost 10 feet high. 5 feet to the right, and I would have fallen on the road. That would have hurt even more!

I tried to crawl out of the pile, but my hands hurt when I tried to jam them into the snow and the pain in my back was unbearable. My breath was making the air fog up. I was freezing, so, so cold I could barely breathe. I was about to scream for Grover when I heard a growl.

I made my hand into a fist and punched through the wall of snow. I scooted over to the hole more, my back protesting with agony. I peeped through the hole and bit my tongue in shock. It was Mrs. Chidna's dog.

Mrs. Chidna's dog wasn't a dog anymore. It was really big and fat, just like she was. Part of it looked like Mufasa from The Lion King, but the other part looked like that mean snake from The Jungle Book.

It was wandering on the street in front of me, pacing back and forth. It was walking on mismatched legs, half Mufasa legs and half legs with hooves… like the flying horsie!

Grover could save me, I was sure of it. But he didn't know where I was, and I couldn't call out without Mufasa—I mean, Mrs. Chidna's dog—hearing me. Although…

Grover could hear really well. One time, he heard me crying even though I was in the attic and he was in the kitchen. Maybe he could hear me now.

"Grover!" I called quietly. "Grover!"

With a hiss, the snaky part of Mufasa turned and looked toward me. I drew a zipper over my lips and scooted backwards, my sneakers scraping against the ground. With a roar, Mufasa ran toward me. I squeaked and squished back into the corner of the hole.

For a moment, the snakes' head was exactly in line with the hole and looking me right in the eyes.

Then, it lunged forward.

I screamed and ducked just in time. The snakes' head punched into the other side and got stuck there, its snaky head struggling in the snow.

"I hate you, Mufasa!" I screeched, and used the taunt snake body as a spring board to launch me out of the hole. I screamed as my back exploded with pain. I landed on top of the snow and slid down the slick, icy surface, writhing in anguish.

Mufasa was standing over me, his teeth bared. He was growling.

"Grover!" I screamed, and Mufasa reared back for the kill. Fire exploded from my hands again, and I felt my energy drop. The flames stopped, and I slumped, totally exhausted. Mufasa was completely unhurt, and he roared again.

"Catch!" someone yelled. My eyes tracked something flying toward me; a sword.

As though I had been practicing for years, I snatched the sword out of the air. Using the last bit of energy I had, I thrust the sword through Mufasas' throat.

_SHICK._

With an awful sliding noise, the glowing bronze sword sliced through Mufasas' neck. He started to shake violently, and he slowly disintegrated into dust.

I was trembling hard, and the sword dropped from my nerveless fingers.

"Charles! Charles, over here!" someone yelled again, and I focused my bleary eyes on the approaching person.

It was a girl, a beautiful girl with eyes as blue as the sky. She hurried to my side and gently propped me up.

"Hey, honey, are you okay?"

My lips formed a no, but I couldn't seem to make myself talk.

"Its okay, sweetie, you're safe now," the girl said, and she shrugged off her jacket and wrapped it around me. The coat dwarfed me and reached to my feet.

"Silena!" Another voice yelled. "Where are you?"

"Here, Charles, bring the ambrosia!" the girl yelled, and she began to rub my arms to get some warmth into them.

"Honey, where's your satyr?" the girl asked. Satyr? She must mean…

"Grover," I croaked. The girl smiled and whistled, a high and shrill noise.

"That's should get the pegasus over here," she said, and beckoned another person over. It was a boy with big, strong arms. He was carrying the backpack.

"Charles, hand me the ambrosia," the girl said, and Charles handed her a water bottle.

"Silena, are you sure she's a demigod?" Charles asked. Silena nodded.

"I'm positive," she said, and trickled the contents of the water bottle down my throat. Warm chocolate poured down my throat and immediately eased the pain in my back. The relief from the pain was so tremendous that I started to cry. The heat spread through my body and made me feel sleepier.

"Who are you?" I rasped, my eyes lids fluttering closed. The tears trickled down and dripped off my cheeks. The girl smiled and looked like an angel from above.

"I'm Silena Beauregard," she said sweetly. "And this is Charles Beckendorf. We're demigods."

My eyes clamped shut, and as unconsciousness pulled me under, I heard hooves on the pavement, and my name being yelled in a familiar voice.

Grover.


	4. Bathroom duty for the rescue team

**CHILD OF OLYMPUS CHAPTER 4**

**SILENA POV; 11 YEARS OLD**

Grover was such an idiot.

Not to be rude or anything; rudeness is _so_ not cute. But Grover was being ridiculously stupid.

Okay, so once I whistled, his pegasus came over and he explained the whole story. Apparently, the kid, Alia, had been the one to let go. She was the one to decide that she would fall. Not him. How dumb is that? And now, he was insisting that she was NOT a child of Aphrodite.

Alia was beautiful, even when half-frozen to death. I recognized a child of Aphrodite when I saw one; not all of us looked the same, but we all look gorgeous. This girl _did _look comfortable with the sword clutched in her hand, which was unusual. I picked up the sword and it immediately transformed back into a glowing bronze hair elastic—though not one of the normal ones, the kind with the large flower accessorizing it. This flower was gold and silver, although completely light weight. On second thought, I tied up Alia's dark amber hair with the elastic. She'll probably use it more than I will.

"I'm telling you, she can't be a child of Aphrodite!" Grover argued while I tucked my jacket around her more firmly. The tip of her tiny nose was blue with cold. Her skin was as white as the snow around us, the edges of her face slightly blue.

I wheeled to face Grover. "Listen, Grover, I know this has been your first mission in two years. I know you didn't want to mess it up, so I won't tell anyone. But Grover, maybe you weren't meant to be a protector. I mean, after what happened with Thalia two years ago—"

"La, la, la!" Grover shouted, shoving his fingers in his ears. "I can't hear you, I can't hear you—"

"And," I continued, "Since you can't recognize that this is OBVIOUSLY an Aphrodite demigod, then—"

"Silena!" Grover yelled. I stopped talking, which is a very hard thing for a child of Aphrodite to do.

"Alia shot fire from her hands. She managed to turn that awful orphanage into a homey place. Alia has to be the daughter of Hestia!"

I gaped (attractively, mind you). I had never even heard of a child of Hestia.

"Isn't she a maiden goddess?" I asked, my mind scrambling for answers. Grover threw his hands in the air and looked exasperated.

"Yeah, well, isn't Athena too? Who knows…" Grover trailed off as Charles reappeared. I stifled a blush and started to try to warm Alia more.

"There's a car wash about two minutes that way," he said, pointing east. "We can break in and use the nozzle to contact camp."

"Why would we have to do that?" I said, trying to quell the feeling of having a million little pegasus in my stomach. Charles smiled, and the pegasus went on a rampage.

"Well, Buck is hurt, so there goes transportation," Grover said, totally butting in on what was almost a moment. "I don't know what you guys used to get here, but it won't be enough to hold all four of us. By the way, how did you get here so quickly?"

Charles' face lit up, and he pulled Grover over to our "transportation"—aka the steaming, groaning, Celestial bronze bull. He hopped onto the machine and patted it gently.

"We were the only ones awake when your distress call came in, and I really wanted to try him out, so we came," Charles explained happily, looking majestic astride the bull. "This baby can go up to 200 mph. Totally smooth, although it can't hold more than two people." Grover looked worried.

"Don't you know Chiron is going to kill you? He never lets anyone leave the camp, especially not eleven year olds with high-class machines!" I had to remind myself that although Grover looked like he was nine, he was really 18. Yikes.

"Ummm…" Charles said nervously. Grover shook his head and grabbed Buck's reins.

"C'mon, let's go before we freeze."

I positioned Alia more carefully on my shoulder and began to trudge through the snow until a thought stopped me.

"Grover, what made Buck start to fall?" I questioned suspiciously.

"A fireball, from the Chimera. Why?" Grover asked.

"Why didn't the Chimera just kill Alia with fire? What if it wanted to keep her alive for capture?" I asked.

There was a beat of silence.

"If that's true, then she's being hunted right now," Charles said, and we all took off for the car wash station.

* * *

Grover was right. Chiron was absolutely furious.

"Leaving camp, without permission—"

"But—" I interjected.

"No note, no supervising counselor—"

"Wait—" Charles interrupted.

"Taking the brand new bull—"

"CHIRON!" Grover shouted, which he seemed to be doing a lot. Chiron was silent for a moment. Grover took this as an opportunity to start talking.

"The new demigod— we think she's being hunted, hunted to be captured. We need transportation."

Chiron was quiet for a minute. "Alright," he said. "I'm sending over two pegasus. Beckendorf, you ride the bull home and be careful. Buck—" here the mopey horse raised his head— "have Silena use the rest of the ambrosia on your wing. Fly back, but don't carry anyone."

We all nodded and were about to leave when Chiron added, "Silena and Beckendorf. Bathroom duty, three weeks."

I groaned.

* * *

**ALIA POV**

I woke up feeling heat spread through my fingers and limbs. I opened my eyes to see a ceiling that had a painting on it. The painting had baby angels flying around a guy with a stick. The stick had some snakes on it.

"This isn't my room," I mumbled, and I sat up. I was in a big room, with a bunch of empty beds. It looked like a bigger, cleaner version of the dormitory. There was a bunch of cabinets and some sinks.

"Where am I?" I wondered, and I kicked off the blankets and set my bare feet on the cold floor. The cold made me recoil. I didn't have any shoes, so I couldn't walk on the freezing floor without my toes getting chilly. A serious problem.

There was a door at the end of the room, and I was determined to get to it and find out where I was. The beds looked warm...

I stood at the edge of my bed and jumped to the next one. The frame bounced up and down, and I fell onto the bed, giggling.

I bounced to the next one, and the next, and finally I somersaulted into a landing right before the door.

I was laughing until I looked up.

A guy was standing over me, but he wasn't a normal guy. Blue eyes blinked at me from all over his body. Instead of being terrified, I was oddly fascinated.

"Can you see what's behind you at the same time as seeing me?" I asked, my own eyes wide. The man nodded.

"Is it weird?" I inquired. "What happens when you get pink eye? Ooh, do you have to wear glasses? Or contacts? What if it's really bright outside and—"

"Settle down, child," a voice said behind me. I had been bouncing up and down in excitement, but I turned to see something more normal; a man in a wheel chair.

"Argus, you may go," the man in the wheel chair said, and the guy with eyes sighed in relief and hightailed it out of there. The man smiled kindly.

"Hello, Alia. We need to talk."

"Okay," I said. "Who are you?"

The man chuckled and offered me his hand. I hesitated, then grabbed it. It was warm and firm. "Follow me. I'll explain everything."

I followed him down a carpeted hallway into a nice, warm room. A fire crackled cozily in the corner, and a blond girl about nine years old sat in a big armchair, scowling. She glared at me as I padded in, clutching the man's hand.

"Who is _she_?" the girl demanded. "Chiron, is she even a demigod?" She gave me a once over with stormy gray eyes and scowled.

"Annabeth, this is Alia. Alia, this is Annabeth," the man explained gently, and then placed me on a fuzzy chair. I happily snuggled in. He rolled himself into a space and smiled at me. "Alia, my name is Chiron. I'm the director of Camp Half-Blood."

I wrinkled my nose. "Half blood? How can you have half a blood?" I asked, my imagination filling me with ideas of a camp filled with half empty jars of blood.

"See? She doesn't even know what Camp Half Blood means. She's dumb," Annabeth said, sneering. My mouth dropped open. Why was she acting so mean? Was she jealous or something?

I picked a pillow up off the ground and chucked it at her. While Annabeth was stewing with outrage, I turned to Chiron.

"Chiron, where am I?" I asked. Annabeth picked up a pillow, but Chiron waved her off.

"Alia, I'm going to show you a video. The video will explain mostly everything, and anything that doesn't make sense you can ask Annabeth about.

"Her?" I gaped. "She's mean. She doesn't like me." Annabeth looked affronted, as though nobody had ever been so forward and blunt about her.

"Yes, her," Chiron said, a twinkle of amusement gleaming in his eye. "Annabeth will be your tour guide, so to say. For the next month, everything you do you will do together."

Annabeth yelled in frustration and stomped over to me, grabbing my wrist.

"Let's go watch the video," she growled, and I let the older girl haul me away, my heels dragging onto the carpet. I looked at Chiron pleadingly.

"Welcome to Camp Half Blood!" He said cheerily, and I was pulled away.

_**Why does Annabeth hate Alia so much?**_

_**What are Alia's fatal flaws?**_

_**Where are the rest of her powers?**_

_**Find out the answers to (some) of these questions in the next episode of...**_

_**THE CHILD OF OLYMPUS!**_

**AN:**

**Sorry about how filler this chapter was; the next chapter will be full of action. I got a bunch of reviews, and I was a bit confused about one.**

**One review asked me if Alia, the six year old, and Grover, the (soon to be taken by Juniper) eighteen year old were getting together.**

**Did I put out the romantic vibes for those two? I totally did not mean to. Their relationship is brother/sister. Sorry for the confusion.**

**PLUS- You guys might be wondering the answers to these questions:**

**GROVER IS 18**

**ANNABETH IS 9**

**LUKE IS 16**

**PERCY (ALTHOUGH NOT AT CAMP) IS 9**

**SILENA AND BECKENDORF ARE 11**

**CLAIRESSE IS 9**

**FIN.**


	5. Pride

**The Child of Olympus**

**ALIA POV**

The video was amazing.

Annabeth was carefully watching my face for a reaction to it, and I was wonder struck. Amazed.

There were so many flying horses. And really good-looking food, and magical things, and gods! It's like having seen everything in black and white, and one day waking up to see things in color.

_Magic existed._

"So does Peter Pan exist?" I blurted out excitedly, but Annabeth had already snatched my arm. She dragged me through the house and dumped me onto the porch. I scrambled to my feet and gazed on the scenery with excitement.

There was a horse shoe shaped ring of cabins, each glowing a mystical color against the silver snow. Each of them seemed homey and familiar, and I felt warmth blossom in my stomach. Something clicked inside of me, and I felt as though I could belong.

Farther down the valley, a golden forge glowed and echoed with clangs of hammers. Nearby, a stable rang with whinnies, and a giant wall hissed and oozed lava.

To the right of the house, there was a pavilion, where the chatter of people could be heard; _demigods._

There was more, so much more. I was ready to sprint off and explore the pavilion, but Annabeth swung me around to face her. To my surprise, her steely gray eyes were shiny with—were those tears?

"Listen, _Alia,_" She said fiercely, making my name sound like an insult. "Just because you're the first daughter of Hestia doesn't mean—"

"You're worried," I interrupted, my eyes wide with realization. Annabeth looked startled. "Chiron is like a father to you, and you think that I'm gonna take your place and be his favorite instead of you—"

"Stop it!" Annabeth shouted, but she didn't look angry—her mouth curved up on the corners, although tears were prickling the corners of her eyes. Annabeth studied me again.

"Listen, I already lost my first dad, and Chiron is—he just—"

She bit her lip and smiled. "I was mean because I thought you were gonna take over. You're also smarter than I thought."

"Annabeth, I don't want to take your place. I couldn't be mean enough," I said seriously, and she smiled.

"Let's get you down to the pavilion. I'm sure that you're hungry," she said, and when she took my hand I felt the warmth of friendship.

And for the next seven years, she was like an older sister to me.

* * *

Dappled sunlight sparkled through the cabin window, and my sleeping bag felt warm.

And wet.

I shot up to find myself on the floor with a bunch of Hermes kids standing over me. They were taking pictures.

"GUYS!" I bellowed, but they were gone within seconds, ripping open the cabin door and disappearing in the morning light. I struggled out of the drenched bag and looked over the mess they had created.

Water had soaked through the middle part of the sleeping bag, making it look like I had peed my pants. I sighed. In seconds, the photos would be all over camp. Great way to start the day.

The Hermes Cabin was empty, except for the pink streamers hanging dejectedly from the ceiling. Great job, guys.

I threw on an outfit that would have made most Aphrodite girls (and guys) cry and yanked on my ratty old Converse. They were shabby and ragged, but they worked well when chasing after my "brothers."

Yeah, as a daughter of Hestia, I was shoved in with the Hermes kids. Even though all of the gods had started to claim their kids thanks to a certain hero, I remained the only child of Hestia. They said they would eventually build me a cabin after building and enlarging the others, but I had told them not to. I would be lonely. I would rather be with the Hermes kids than be alone.

Not that I'm complaining about the Hermes kids; I love the little buggers (and older buggers), and everyone at camp treated me like a little sister, but I never got to enjoy the peace and quiet of...

Who am I kidding? No one at camp got to enjoy any peace and quiet, ever. Well, except Percy.

I tugged my hair back in a pony-tail, using my special hair band. The golden hair tie gleamed as I turned it over in my hands, debating turning it into the sword to hunt and destroy the boys...nah.

I carefully stole out of the cabin. I rolled a rock across the pathway and was rewarded with a flurry of stink bombs going off. So they thought they could trick me, eh?

I took the most miscellaneous route to the pavilion, zigzagging across the green. The bronze hearth released golden smoke up into the air, and I could see a small figure—my mom, Hestia—sitting by the fireside. I swallowed down anxiety and began to walk toward the hearth. Mom's head whipped around. She saw me, and she faded away.

I felt the usual disappointment rise in my chest. Hestia, Dionysus, all of the gods avoided me like the plague. My own mother disappeared the second I got within 20 feet.

I bit down on the ball of hurt choking in my throat and ran over to the pavilion. I glanced over behind my shoulder and observed the peaceful green valley. Mom was back in her place at the hearth, studiously avoiding my gaze.

"Alia!" a voice called, and I spun over to see the beaming faces of two of my closest friends, Annabeth and Clarisse. Annabeth, being the sisterly figure she was, hugged me closely and ruffled my hair. Clarisse punched my shoulder.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, rubbing my arm. "What was that for?"

"Aren't you supposed to get punched on your birthday or something?" Clarisse asked, but my disgruntled answer was interrupted by a peal of laughter. Campers were crowded around the bulletin board, pointing and snickering. Annabeth pushed through the throng.

There was a ripping noise as Annabeth tore the photo off the board. There were cries of disappointment, but she continued toward me. She held out the picture.

It was a picture of me, lying fast asleep on the ground. A wet patch was on the sleeping bag, making it looked like I had peed my pants. Pink letters headlined the top of the page. They said, "Let's wish the Princess and her Pee a happy birthday!" How had they printed it out so quickly?

I thought the stupid Princess thing was over. I gritted my teeth and dug my nails into my palms. My sense of **pride** was so strong, I almost vomited. My leg muscles shook with effort.

Annabeth grabbed me by the shoulders. "C'mon, Alia, not your fight. You can't go to war against your own cabin. Especially the Hermes cabin."

"It's the end of the year, anyway," Clarisse said. "Next year, maybe."

"Alia, sweetheart!" A voice called, and I whipped my head around. Travis wove through the crowd, grinning.

"Princess, don't get too upset," he laughed. I bit my tongue as anger boiled in my stomach. His face swum before me in a haze. "People need a laugh after the war. Get over it, birthday girl—"

I whipped into movement so fast Travis didn't even see it coming. One second he was smirking like the annoying sorta brother he was, the next he was pinned on the floor while wincing in pain. His arm was bent behind his back while my knee dug into him.

"Alia!" he gasped in pain, and I released him right away. Dizziness rocked my body for the second before I regained my balance. I grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Travis," I said, helping him up. "You know I have a thing about **pride**."

He rolled his eyes and brushed off his T-shirt. "Gonna miss you, kid," Travis said, and he beckoned over his twin, who was distributing flyers of the picture. Conner dropped them and trotted over.

"See ya next year," Conner and Travis said in unison.

"It was Percy's birthday 2 weeks ago. Why don't you ever prank him?," I asked, raising my eyebrow. They smiled and pointed at the door. "That's why."

Percy entered the doorway, casually turning his pen over and over in his hands. Everyone began clapping when he entered, as was the standard greeting for the past 2 weeks. He smiled shyly and raised his hand for quiet. Everyone just clapped louder.

Everyone loved the Hero of Olympus. Whenever he entered a building, people clapped. The girls swooned over him, the guys admired him, and every single person in Camp Half Blood adored him.

And what, do you ask, was my part in the Titan War?

Yeah, well, I didn't do anything.

Don't get me wrong, I wanted to, so badly. The gods forbade me to.

I had never seen the Olympians, except for Mr. D (who, as I said before, avoided me like crazy). I had seen him at dinner sometimes, and at the camp fire.

When I got the orders not to fight, I had been in the infirmary, making ambrosia with some of the nicer Aphrodite girls. Chiron had come in and given me a golden letter. The bright shining color had matched my hair, and I had wondered if Aphrodite wanted to give me tips or something.

Instead, it had been a letter in Ancient Greek. Not one letter, like an omega or an thespilon, but a whole paragraph saying that as the only daughter of Hestia, I had to stay at Camp to preserve my legacy or whatever.

So yeah, I never saw the glory of all the gods, I had never fought the forces of Kronos (except for that time in the Battle of Labyrinth), but I had seen Rachel become the Oracle and all that jazz. I had also seen Annabeth and Percy get together and I had helped dump them in the lake.

Now, Percy's face lit up as he saw Annabeth. He rushed past me in all my Pee-Pee glory and swept her up in a hug. Clarisse rolled her eyes at the gushiness and stalked off to talk to Chris Rodriguez, her boyfriend.

"Parents picking you up today?" Annabeth asked, running her hands through his unruly hair.

Another thing I forgot to mention; today was September 1st. My kind-of birthday—I had been born at midnight exactly—and also the day all summer campers left and all the year rounders said their goodbyes.

I cleared my throat loudly and Percy looked over at me.

"Princess!" He exclaimed, and picked me up.

"Don't call me that!" I yelled while pounding on his shoulder. I was thirteen, and Percy could not only still pick me up and swing me, but he also still called me the stupid nickname from when I was six, back on that first day at camp...

**_FLASH BACK_**

_Annabeth carried me through the snow, as I didn't have any shoes on. I began to shiver as the cold set in—I only wearing a white night-gown the infirmary had given me._

_Finally we entered into the pavilion. Everyone stopped talking as we entered the room. Twelve tables were set up in a row. A table where all the girls were in pink squealed and pointed to me._

_Annabeth set me down onto the warm marble floor. Everyone was staring. I smiled nervously at them, and then hid behind Annabeth. Everyone went, "awww."_

_"Her name is Alia," Annabeth said, and for a person who had been chucking pillows at me 30 minutes ago, she pushed me forward very gently._

_A girl from one of the tables stood up. "Hey sweetie, do you know what a demigod is?" she asked gently, and I recognized Silena._

_"I don't know exactly, but it's like being... it's like being..." I searched for an example. "A princess!" I said triumphantly. Everybody broke into laughter, and I giggled despite myself._

_"So Princess, who's your mommy or daddy?" Someone else said. Annabeth pushed me toward a table with sneaky looking people._

_"She's Hestia," Annabeth said, and murmurs swept across the hall. A boy about Annabeth's age stepped forward. He was from the sneaky table._

_"Welcome to the family, Princess," he said._

_And "Princess" became a thing. Word of me being competitive and prideful spread. Soon it became, "Hey, I bet the 'Princess' can't scale the wall in two minutes."_

_And just to discredit the stupid nickname and defend my pride, I would spend hours on the wall, my fingers cracking and blistering. Princess became a hated name for me, but everyone loved to call me it because I looked like one—all dainty and nice._

_**BACK TO THE NORMAL TIME**  
_

Percy set me down and gave me a friendly punch on the shoulder.

Unfortunately for me, he was strong, and unaware of his strength.

"OW! What is it with punching people on their birthday?" I complained, and Percy laughed.

"I gotta go pack," he said. He reached his hand out for Annabeth, and they walked away together. I watched them sadly.

I was younger than a lot of my friends, and they seemed to always be with a guy, or busy. Grover was with Juniper, Annabeth with Percy, Clarisse with Chris, Silena with—

Right. Silena was gone. I sighed.

"To the woods," I said to myself. My pride was still aching from the "Princess and her Pee" joke. I had to take my anger out on some monsters in the woods, and I needed to have a good cry about Silena and Beckendorf.

Again.

* * *

The woods were nice, despite the fact they looked menacing on the outside. Whenever I was in there alone, I liked to do a demigod version of parkour— flipping through the trees, cart wheeling over the rivers, and basically showing off athletic skill to nobody.

I tumbled through a grove of trees and slid through mud. I tipped forward and splashed into a creek.

It was the creek where Percy first found out he was the son of Poseidon. I had been nine, and still small for my age. My helmet had tipped over my head, and Luke—_oh, poor Luke—_ had pulled the helm off my head and promptly dropped it on my head when he saw the trident over Percy's head. I remember Annabeth helped me up, and I remembered the disappointment in her silvery eyes. She had been kinda crushing on him, and now he was the son of Poseidon. Too bad for her.

It was also my chill place, the place I went when I was mad, or sad... This was supposed to be a place where Annabeth and I hung out, but lately...

My jeans were soaked through, but I didn't mind. I swirled my fingers through the fast running water and pulled them out.

My fingers were dry. It must be a daughter of Hestia thing, not having to get wet. My natural heat must repel the water.

I pulled my jeans out of the mud. While my skin didn't get wet if I didn't want it to, my clothing remained sopping. I scraped the mud off my jeans and closed my eyes.

Silena and Beckendorf. The closest I had ever had to a real mom and dad. Not the stupid foster parents I had spent time with over the year, but a real loving family. I mourned them every single day, but the pain in my chest grew heavier.

Suddenly, I felt another presence.

My closed eyes grew heavier and heavier. I was still hungry, having only grabbing a piece of toast as I left the pavilion, but that didn't seem to matter.

A stench of grapes filled the air, and I felt a hand close over my mind.

All was quiet.

* * *

**MYSTERY POV**

The girl's eyes were the color of ripe violet grapes with golden leaves twining over them. I watched with regret as they closed. Even unconscious, her beauty was undiminished. Sculpted cheekbones, full lips, a strong yet dainty brow. Her hair was brighter than it was the day she came to camp, turning from dark blond to silky gold.

"Pretty for a mortal," I said out loud, but I knew that she was gorgeous even for a goddess.

"I'm sorry, _Princess_, but this is your fate. You must destroy your flaws before you save the world."

And with that, I set the nearest tree on fire. Godly fire bellowed and spread at an incredibly fast rate.

"Good bye, Alia," I said, and I teleported away, faster than the speed of light.

**T****HAT was a LONG, LONG chapter. Hope you enjoyed.**


	6. Cause I set Fire (to the Dryads!)

**The Child of Olympus; The Fire**

I was swimming; or at least, it felt like it.

As the daughter of fire, I was always way too comfortable in water for my own good, but this water was heavy. And drowsy. And thick, like syrup.

I felt like I couldn't breathe, feeling my chest constrict as though metal bands were wrapping around my lungs and squeezing. I choked another breath, and shot upright.

My eyes were overwhelmed with colors, and visions, and things to see. I wheezed in a breath of smoke and realized I had been asleep.

Smoke?

Golden fire was surrounding me, the heat crashing over and suffocating me. My face felt like it was peeling off.

Fire was consuming everything around me. I heard the screeches of dying dryads pierced my eyes.

"No," I whispered, my lungs burning from the smoke.

"NOO!" I screamed, and I scrambled up from my position. I ran to the side of the water and splashed around, trying to awaken the naiads.

None of them came. In desperation, I whirled around and concentrated hard on my powers. I had been able to make things burst into flame and then go out, but nothing of this magnitude.

The golden, horrendous flames belched flame into my face and sent me reeling back into the water. The fire was resisting my urges, rebelling against me.

I was frantic. Dryads were crying and yelling, and I could vaguely see humanoid forms darting away from the inferno. I had to save them from this unearthly flame.

The wind picked up and battered the flame; Zeus must have been helping out or something. The blaze rejected the winds and grew in size. The oxygen had fueled it instead.

I sprinted forward and headed straight into the fire. The flames began to lick my sides. Usually, this would only cause a pleasant tickling feeling, but the intense heat immediately began blistering me. My skin boiled and began to burn.

I screamed, an awful noise that made my throat feel like it was bleeding. I was on my knees now, the fire slowly melting me down.

_Water_, I thought, my thought growing hazy from agony.

And all of a sudden, incredible relief. Cool water splashed over me, instantly cooling my smoking flesh.

_The naiads._

I staggered to my feet to get the stream. Small parts on my t-shirt were sizzling and still smoking. The naiads that had splashed water over me were gone, but I sank into the cold water. A whistle of breath escaped my lungs, and tears started to leak down my sooty face.

My leg muscles screamed as I tried to move. I tried to stand, but every part of my body seemed to light on fire. I felt like I was held together by thin stitches, and any movement would cause me to burst open.

CRACK.

A roar filled the air as I heard things crushing under a pressure. The sound of an avalanche thundered toward me.

I slowly floated around to see a huge amount of green blue water crashing through the woods, instantly quenching the fire.

Salt water flowed into my mouth and nose, overflowing the stream. Too weak to even moved, I was pushed under by the enormous salt water river.

The river seemed to take course, going at tremendous speeds while curving out of the forest.

I was pushed like a piece of drift wood, spinning and slamming painfully into tree trunks. I felt bones snap and water filled my mouth.

I felt nauseous and terribly sick. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

_How can I be breathing? _I asked myself, and the burns realized they had salt in them.

* * *

**ANNABETH POV**

Percy stood there, pale and sweaty, clenching his fists. He trembled and fell to his knees.

"Percy!"

I rushed to his side and grabbed his hand. He was panting hard, eyes still closed in concentration.

The salt water river had exploded out of the ocean and had swept through the blaze. Percy had looked like a god, controlling the water like that and putting out the enormous flames.

Finally he nodded. I breathed a sigh a relief. Percy had controlled the river and had navigated the water back to the sea.

He shakily got to his feet, and the surrounding circle of satyrs, singed dryads, pale naiads, and worried campers cheered. Percy surveyed the crowd with a faint smile and wrapped his arm around me.

Three older looking dryads were conversing in their dry, chattering tones, and Grover listened and nodded.

"No casualties, thank the gods," Grover said, and started translating for the three dryads. His brow wrinkled in concentration as he listened to their soft, windy voices.

"Hundreds of half burned trees—" Grover began, and some Demeter and Hecate kids raced into the forest.

"Guys, there's still monsters in there!" I called, but they fled into the forest. The Demeter kids do anything for nature, and I saw the raw panic in their eyes at a living thing getting hurt. Add that with magic, and monsters, and you got a messy situation.

I sighed and turned to Percy.

"You, go back to your cabin. Drink ambrosia and nectar. And—" I wrinkled my nose. "Take a shower."

Percy nodded wearily and pecked me on the lips. I smiled and pushed him in the direction of the cabins.

"Thanks, Percy!" The three dryads called. Grover looked indignant.

"I thought you couldn't speak English!" He said, but they only giggled and poofed away.

I rolled my eyes. "Grover, send…" Hmmm. Who to send after the kids? Most campers were gone, and I wanted to send someone with experience after them…

"Send Clarisse and Alia after them," I told Grover.

"CLARISSE! ALIA!" Grover bellowed, and Clarisse stomped through the crowd, sending campers flying.

"WHAT." Clarisse growled, clenching her fists.

"Clarisse, I need you to go in the woods after some boneheaded campers with Alia," I said, making notes on a scrap piece of paper. I would need to round up Demeter kids to fix the trees.

"Alia? I haven't seen her since breakfast," Clarisse said, and swiveled around as though the birthday girl would be right behind her.

"She seemed pretty steamed, and…" I trailed off, and felt my eyes grow huge.

* * *

_**FLASHBACK; 2009; ALIA 9 YRS OLD, ANNABETH 12 YRS OLD; ANNABETH POV**_

_I was chilling in the study at the Big House. I had been with my dad in Virginia, and I had jumped at the chance to spend winter break at camp and get away from that awful woman._

_No one was here at the moment, and I was kinda glad. I was sending my new friend Percy the picture of me at the Lincoln Memorial, and I didn't want anybody to tease me about it. It's not like I _liked_ him._

_The front door burst, and I slammed the laptop closed, my heart pounding. I heard the usual tread of Chiron's wheel chair rolling down the hallways, and the familiar sounds of little sneakers._

_Alia burst in through the door, her cheeks pink and flushed. At a time like this, she would normally be happy. But she was angry, bitter tears dripping down her face._

"_I hate the foster people, Chiron!" she yelled, her dark blond hair flying. "Don't make me go back, or I'll—I'll—"_

_Here she faltered and glared around the room, looking for something to yell at. I shrunk into my armchair. Alia was cute—more than cute—but when she was angry, she could yell at anyone._

"_I'm running away!" she shouted, and raced out the door._

_There was a beat of silence before Chiron and I burst into laughter. Alia always hated her foster parents—and yeah, they were usually jerks—and she always threatened to run away._

"_Can you go get her?" Chiron chuckled, and rolled away. I hid the laptop under the chair and leaped to my feet. By now, she would be at the boundaries. Alia, if anything, was incredibly stubborn. She would go through with her threats, unless someone stopped her._

_I kicked through the pale, shining snow and ran to the pine tree. Sure enough, there she was, saying good bye to the Thalia. Even though Alia had never met Thalia, I knew Alia thought Thalia deserved respect._

_Creeping slowly, I snuck around the tree and scooped her up, hauling her over my shoulder. _

_Alia shrieked in surprise—fake surprise, she knew I would come—and half-heartedly beat my back and shoulders._

"_I really am upset this time," Alia cried out, and I could tell by her voice that something really was wrong._

_I began to jog as fast as I could with a nine year old on my back, straight past the volleyball pit and frozen strawberry fields. The light changed from silver to dark gray as we entered the woods. I finally stopped by the creek, the one where Percy had been claimed._

"_Why are we here?" Alia asked curiously, purple eyes wide. "Is it because you like Per—"_

"_No!" I almost shouted. I calmed down and invited her to sit on an icy log._

"_Listen, Alia, the woods aren't a safe place," I began, and Alia rolled her beautiful eyes. _

"_But the woods are a great place to get angry," I continued. "You can chill here, and be here without anyone watching. If you want, this can be our place to go when things are bad."_

_She squinted at me suspiciously, studying for a trap. Finally, Alia nodded and smiled._

"_Okay. This is our place. I'll come here when things are bad, or I'm upset," she said, and I opened my arms for a hug._

_Once Alia was warmed up, I made her face me._

"_So, what happened?" I asked, and her eyes hardened into violet glass._

"_Okay, so __I was just sitting there…"_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"She was by the creek," I whispered. "That's where the fire was."

That shouldn't have been a problem, but that meant Percy's river had… it had…

I couldn't say drowned. I just couldn't.

"PERCY!" I shouted, raw fear driving me to sprint to his cabin. I vaguely heard the sounds of Clarisse and Grover running after me.

He wasn't in his cabin. I whirled around in panic, and then a thought flew through my mind_—_water energized Percy. He could be down by the water.

I raced to the beach, my breath coming hard and fast.

There he was, knee deep in the water.

Holding a small form.

"PERCY!" I screamed and hurtled to his side, the sand scraping my ankles raw. I tumbled forward and splashed into the water, trying to recognize the scarred person in front of me.

It was Alia.

Blistering red burns covered her entire body, oozing and pulsing. It looked as though her face had been torn off. Black blisters bubbled on the side of her neck. Her lovely gold hair was gone, burnt to a crisp. Her fragile eyes were closed. I held back a sob.

"Oh, my gods," I heard the sharp inhale from behind me.

Percy looked at me, his green eyes desperate. "I came down to get energized and she was_—_was just lying there."

"Is she... breathing?" I choked out, unable to say dead.

"Look!" Clarisse whispered, eyes wide. She pointed to Alia. My breath froze in my lungs. Percy sucked in a gasp, and I heard a nervous bleat from beside me.

Smooth skin was growing over the burns, healing at an incredible rate. Gold silky hair erupted out of her skull and lengthened. Her nose, broken and out of place, straightened and centered. Skin tissue, muscle tissue, and bones knitted together. Alia trembled and convulsed as her hair arced down her back.

Finally, with a snapping noise, Alia's eyes shot open.

"Alia!" I cried and reached out to touch her, unsure if I should.

"Yes, the girl is alive," a drawling voice stated. I whipped around to see Mr. D, lazily glaring at- not Percy, or me. Alia?

"We need to get her to the infirmary," Percy managed to get out, barely containing his shock. "She just went under a major healing, and we need to-"

"We do not allow traitors in the infirmary," Mr. D. drawled. I frowned, confused.

"Traitors? What are you talking about..." I trailed off as Mr. D's eyes filled with purple fire.

"Alia must have set the fire. She's the one who almost murdered the dryads. Alia is clearly a former agent for Kronos!"

I almost laughed. Literally. Next to me, Percy let a chuckle slip.

"You think I'm joking, Pepe Jonsey?" Mr. D demanded, and he held out a hand. Alia's weakened form flew from Percy's arms and slumped to a pile on the beach next to Mr. D.

"She will go to court in front of the Olympians. We will decide the traitors fate," Mr. D said. He glanced down at her.

"Pretty, for a mortal," he muttered, and he disappeared in a flash of white light, leaving us paralyzed, alone in the water.

**Yay! I'll get a lot of quests and action and suspense in the next chapter! Read and Review! :)**


	7. The Trial

**THE CHILD OF OLYMPUS 7**

My nerves were electric, tingling and pounding. I felt the strangely firm grip of Mr. D's hand on my forearm. A bright white glow penetrated everything. I could vaguely tell that I was moving very, very fast.

A silver shimmer slowly covered the white. Blinking very quickly, a white marble room appeared before my disoriented eyes.

I was standing in it, alone, wearing formal Greek clothing; a white dress edged with gold and on my feet, ancient laced sandals. I raised my hands to my hair to find it in an intricate braid lacing around my head. They had cleaned me up for my trial.

I lowered myself into a criss cross on the cold marble floor and waited for someone to come. There was a bubbling pit of dread in my stomach that I refused to dwell on—thinking about my fate would only make me more nervous.

The shimmering white walls pulsed with a faint radiance. I stiffened, sensing a strange shift in the energy. A silver rectangle blazed in the middle of the wall, and a doorway materialized. I drew my knees to my chest and curled my fists, preparing for an enemy… not that white hot flames would have any effect against the gods.

A formal looking, curly haired man approached through the doors. He was wearing the typical ancient Greek toga and had the usual timeless face that immortals tended to have.

"Who are you?" I asked, and stood up fluidly— or at least I tried to. My knees cracked, and I ended up stumbling over the hem of my dress. My face flushed. Making myself look like a fool in front of someone who was probably some sort of god; typical Alia.

"I am Ganymede, cup bearer to the great lord Zeus, and humble servant of the Olympians," the man said in a bored tone. I snorted in a very unladylike fashion while trying to smooth out the wrinkles in my dress.

"Do you have to say that every time you introduce yourself? That's gotta get stale," I commented, my brow wrinkling in dismay as I observed the tear in the silk dress. Well. Hopefully, they wouldn't notice.

"I carry this title with great honor," Ganymede said in a monotone, although he was smirking. "Allow me to escort you to the throne room."

I straightened up, noticing the faint trembling in my arms.

"Follow me," he said, and I walked through the doorway, trying to keep my knees from knocking together.

I passed through the silver doorway and bit back a gasp as I took in the enormous, heavenly throne room. My heart faltered as I gazed at the magnificent thrones, each filled with and angry looking immortals. Uh-oh.

Ganymede guided me to the middle of the room, where a short white marble column stood, almost like a pedestal in a teacher's classroom. A gold and silver pair of handcuffs clinked and encircled my wrists, looking almost like bracelets. I felt a similar coolness around my ankles and knew, without looking down, that cuffs would also be there.

The great lord Zeus looked down at me expectantly, blue eyes literally flashing with lightning. I inclined my head slightly; it was as much of bow as I could manage. Plus, there was a seething anger in the back of my mind. I didn't want to pay homage to the idiots that put me on trial.

Everything had been such a blur— falling asleep (I still didn't know how that had happened so suddenly), waking up and seeing the fire, trying to fight the fire, almost drowning in the salt water river (how had I breathed?), and waking up once more to find out I would have been put on trial. Dude.

"Alianora Clarissa Windflame," Zeus boomed, lightning crackling as though he could hear my treacherous thoughts. I rolled my eyes at using of my full name, Alianora, and the fact that he used my fake middle and last name. The first time the world of demigods and monsters had come to life, fire and wind had saved me. So, Windflame it was. Clarissa had just sounded nice.

"Yees?" I drawled, stretching out the word grossly as to take away all the formality imposed upon me.

A slight chuckle emanated from one of the friendlier looking gods; a man with black hair and eyes like the sea. Someone who had a startling resemblance to Percy. It had to be Poseidon.

"Brother!" Zeus thundered (heh), glaring at the kinder looking god. "The child is on trial." He sent a meaningful glance toward the rest of the gods. Any of the sympathy that was on their faces disappeared.

One of the goddesses stepped forward, and I knew immediately that it was the goddess Athena from her regal stance and her large, intelligent gray eyes.

"Alianora, you have been accused of setting fire to most of the forest, killing multiple dryads, and being a former agent of Kronos. How do you plead?"

"Well, first of all, I plead not guilty. However, I would also like to say what a pleasure it is to come face to face with a great goddess such as yourself," I crooned, putting as much flattery into the sentence as possible.

Athena blinked, startled by my honeyed words. "Really?" she inquired, a pleased blush tingeing her olive cheek bones.

"I'm on trial for a crime I didn't commit. What do you think?" I dead panned. The temperature in the room dropped by at least 50 degrees.

"There's no proof whatsoever that I did this! You jumped to conclusions and..." here I faltered. I wasn't nervous, at all, but the goddess Athena was holding out a scythe charm bracelet. The symbol of Kronos.

My blood chilled just looking at the horrid thing. I swallowed the lump of disgust in my throat and glared at the hated object.

"What is that?" I asked. The goddess Athena smiled in triumph.

"This was found upon your person when you arrived. Can you explain it?"

A memory flashed in my mind. Clarisse, looking angry and betrayed. Giving me the scythe charm and telling me about Silena.

I had immediately tried to break it, crush it in any way. Nothing worked. Eventually, I just threw it into the river. The naiads had hissed at me and tried to throw it back.

Then, another memory came to mind.

_It was just an hour ago. I was almost dead. My eyes were drifting closed as my body wracked with pain. A cold something wrapped around my ankle. I had the slightest view of a naiad, eyes burning with vengeance._

"That was put on me by a naiad! I had nothing to do with it!" I exclaimed violently, aware that the pretty gold braids in my hair were slowly drifting apart.

"What about this?" The lord Zeus inquired, and he clapped his hands once.

A beautiful woman, with smooth liquid black hair and kaleidoscope eyes drifted into the room, her multicolored eyes brimming with sadness. Iris. She clasped her olive hands together and slowly drew them apart, creating a misty, almost clear rainbow between them. It was a video message. _Of me._

"You were recording me?" I screeched, and the silver cuffs blazed white hot for an instance. Zeus gave me a stern look.

"We are gods. We watch anyone and do whatever we wish."

The on screen me was running through the forest, flipping, cartwheeling, and basically having a ball. She (I?) slid to a stop by a river, splashing in it for a bit before lying down.

Here the vision grew a bit hazy, as though covered in a thin layer of sunlight. I squinted my eyes and watched in disbelief as the on screen me looked around shiftily before shooting golden flames at the nearest tree. Then, a giant river picked her up and swept her away.

I was open mouthed. I took a deep breath, counted to ten, and then screamed.

"I didn't do that! Someone altered that video thingy! I was asleep!" I roared, yanking at the cuffs as hard as I could.

Blinding pain ripped through my body as the cuffs lit on fire. How come I wasn't impervious? I had no freaking clue.

"Alianora Clarissa Windflame," Zeus boomed, silencing my screams. I glared at him, panting as blood trickled down my wrists.

"We have made our choice."

"As punishment for your evil doing, you will do the Twelve Great Labors of Heracles," Athena announced aloud, as though it was no big deal.

"And if you don't finish them in a year, we will kill you."


End file.
